


I'm Only Human (After All)

by MakeMeFamous



Category: Supergirl (TV 2015)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Angst, F/F, Pseudo-Incest
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-05-31
Updated: 2017-05-31
Packaged: 2018-11-07 08:41:11
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,695
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11055372
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MakeMeFamous/pseuds/MakeMeFamous
Summary: National City is thrust into uncertainty when Supergirl suddenly goes missing for a month, only to return a different person.





	I'm Only Human (After All)

**Author's Note:**

> Yet another idea that wanted to get out of my head, not a happy one this time though. This is what comes out of my brain after 4 AM. All mistakes are mine, as always.
> 
> In case you didn't read the tags, this is your final warning: things will get angsty af. I'm sorry.
> 
> EDIT: In case anyone is interested, the story got its name from [this](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L3wKzyIN1yk) incredible song.

For as long as anyone could remember, the things in National City had been the same – more or less anyway. The coffee served in the cosy corner cafes littering its streets was delicious, the parks were filled with carefree people of all ages during the weekends, and the buses people took to work every morning usually ran a bit late. These were the usual quirks any city would proudly call their own. Oh, and then there was Supergirl. A character unique enough to make National City stand well above its neighbours. Metropolis excluded, of course – they had their own (inferior, some might argue) version.

And for as long as anyone could remember, Supergirl, their very own ball of sunshine (quite literally, some people gossiped) had stood her guard over the city. She had had her fumbles in the beginning, as all budding superheroes did of course, but they had been all but forgotten soon enough and she had become the pride and joy of everyone that called National City their home, aside from the criminal population of course. She had become a part of everyone’s lives they were very much used to, as she did her daily rounds helping people, all the way from rescuing kittens from trees to flying people off of burning buildings. And all this she always did with a beaming smile and the brightest, cheeriest attitude anyone had ever seen; that much anyone who had ever seen her in action could tell you. And so it came as quite a shock to everyone when one day, a day like any other, she was nowhere to be seen when she was needed once again.

~

A bank in the heart of the city, National City Trust, was in the process of being robbed and tensions were running high, as the scared customers were huddled on the ground while the four masked men were brandishing their guns at the staff and barking orders. The silent alarm was thankfully triggered by a hidden staff member, and thus police were swarming the area in no time, guns trained at the door and all exits covered. The robbers in question were rookies, that much was obvious based on their shaky voices and cheap looking guns, but they had managed their way inside the bank all the same and now they had hostages. In their haste and newfound panic, they grabbed a few of their hostages, deciding to make a run for it. The doors of the bank burst open, with the thugs and their human shields filing out one by one. They stopped in the middle of the stairs leading up to the main entrance, the full force of the National City Police force focused on them in an instant. The robbers quickly realised the obvious fault in their plan; with no exit in sight and no one on the opposite side having a clear shot everything halted for a moment, both sides being unclear on how to proceed.

On any other day, this would’ve been the time a certain superhero would have swooped in, and performed some aerial acrobatics that would have ended up in a neat pile of disgruntled criminals and relieved police officers. On this particular day, however, no one came. The silence during the following moments was deafening, with everyone on their toes waiting. And waiting. The criminals were quite possibly even more confused than the police or the quite sizable crowd of bystanders that had gathered around the nearby streets. So much so, that one of them, in his efforts to survey the skies for incoming trouble, let his hold on his hostage loose for just a moment. To everyone’s relief, the confusion that followed was enough for the police to make their move and apprehend the distracted criminal, as well as the rest of his dumbfounded crew. As much of a victory as it certainly was, everyone involved would later agree that the success could be filed under blind luck and the inexperience of the robbers. In the aftermath of it all, the question remained: where the hell was Supergirl?

~

The NCPD didn’t fare any better in the days that followed, that was for sure. Supergirl was still nowhere to be seen, and it seemed that all the criminals in the city were as aware of the fact as was anyone else. Compared to what had become the norm, the crime rate skyrocketed and the police had their hands full trying to maintain any resemblance of order. The whole underworld of National City, all the way from murderers to your everyday convenience store robbers, was having a field day and there simply wasn’t enough officers to keep an eye on every corner. The people, used to the omnipresent protection of their very own superhero were getting anxious. And then they got angry.

At first, their anger was directed towards the men and women of their police force, and the ones higher up responsible for _keeping the city safe_. The masses were all too happy to point out, that their efforts at “handling the situation as best they could”, as the police chief put it during an emergency press conference, were abysmal at best.

When that didn’t work, they turned their collective outrage to the only other person they felt they could – Superman. On top of all the distressed news articles and angry blog posts demanding his response, he was being bombarded with questions about Supergirl’s whereabouts wherever possible, be it after his own heroics or his many public appearances. At first, he replied in a calm manner, declaring that his cousin was having some serious personal issues that she needed to work through, and reminded people that they had been doing just fine before she had revealed herself and started her crime fighting career. He also pointed out, that time and time again people had been insisting that they were, quote “just fine without a rogue alien meddling in their affairs”.

The calm, composed Superman lasted for about a week, after which he either left as soon as the situation allowed it, or told the reporters hounding him that his stance on the subject hadn’t changed, and anything further was none of their business. He reassured everyone that Supergirl would come back eventually, even if they didn’t seem to deserve her.

And so, the status quo changed, and eventually the burning rage calmed down into a quiet simmer. The police force reacquainted themselves with doing their actual jobs, and the crime rate went back to normal. Or what was considered normal before Supergirl anyways. Superman was mostly left to his own devices, though the odd snide comment or question still surfaced here and there – all left without answers. The space previously occupied by anger was soon replaced with the wildest speculations and conspiracy theories, striving to explain the burning questions on everyone’s minds. Where did Supergirl really go? What were these “personal issues” she was supposedly working through? Was she really coming back? No one knew for sure, but everyone certainly seemed to have an opinion on the matter, one way or the other. Some though that she had simply moved to another city, or another continent for that matter, but there didn’t seem to be any evidence or sightings of an alien in a blue jumpsuit to back these claims up. Some people even claimed that the secret aliens living in the Moon had finally come to Earth, and kidnapped her. The theories only got crazier from there, believe it or not, but none seemed to help with the general unease that had made its home amongst the citizens of this once so safe city.

~

As suddenly, and as mysteriously as she had disappeared almost a month ago, Supergirl returned. On a sunny day, quite like the one of the infamous bank robbery, a couple was being held at gunpoint in a back alley near the docks, with no police in sight. And just like that, out of nowhere, the man holding the gun was swooped into the air in a blue-red blur, leaving the couple unscathed, if flustered and shaken. The man in question was later found in front of the police station, unconscious and hands tied behind his back, with a note taped to his chest that simply read: _criminal_. It didn’t take longer than a few hours and a few similar occurrences around town for the headlines to sprout on every web page of every major (and minor) news organization in National City: “Is Supergirl finally back?”.

And as it turned out, she was indeed back, though the alien that had returned was not the same one that had disappeared all those weeks ago. There were no more smiles, no cheery attitude and no more smartass remarks towards the captured criminals. No longer did she stay and play with the children whose kittens she saved, nor did she help carry the shopping bags of the elderly across the busy streets. The new Supergirl was stone faced, didn’t pull her punches, and didn’t seem the slightest bit interested in interacting with the people unless absolutely necessary. Those select few who had had words with her said she was very blunt and to the point, didn’t make any dorky jokes like she used to and didn’t stay at the scene to lift people’s spirits after her stunts.

The only upside of this from the people’s perspective, if there had to be one, was that the criminals were even more scared of Supergirl now than they had ever been – if that was at all possible. The crime rate was at an all-time low, and the police barely had anything to do anymore, beside writing parking tickets and stopping people for broken tail lights and the like. This did nothing to quell the vortex of speculations that circled Supergirl like a particularly stubborn tornado. The Moon-alien theories were replaced by talks of some sort of extra-terrestrial mind control or perhaps some undetected solar flares. Still, the city got its prized superhero back and slowly but surely the rumour mill quieted down to a low murmur amongst the more eccentric individuals. 

~

Days turned into weeks, weeks to months and those eventually into years. And yet the cold, distant Supergirl persisted. There were many theories on this change, both ignorant and scholarly, but no one knew if any of them held more truth than the next one. Superman had remained adamant in his “no comment” policy, and seemed a bit distant as well compared to his past self. Or so someone wrote on their thesis, devoted to the study of this strange phenomenon, dubbed _alien mood disorder_ in the very same paper. It took some time, years even, but people once more got used to having their own superhero and the safety it ensured them. Even as a meager shadow of her former radiant and overly happy self, Supergirl took the spot of National City’s prized defender once more, and the people still fixated on the changes in her demeanour were catalogued amongst other crazy conspiracy theorists.

Despite the silent agreement that everything was as it used to be, one specific mystery still remained, however. Every year like clockwork, on the same day in September, Supergirl disappeared once more, only to return the day after like nothing had happened. The first time this took place, the city was damn near a full-blown riot. Luckily any big confrontations were avoided as their hero returned as quickly as she did. The mysterious disappearances did, however, create even more hushed theories and speculations, but these were rarely discussed as the first few attempts at questioning the superhero in question proved futile.

~

_2 years later, September 24th, National City Cemetery  
A few minutes ‘till midnight_

~

If you were to look closely, really squint your eyes, you might see a lone figure amongst the headstones with a curiously shaped package in their hands. If you were to look even closer, you might make out that the strange package was in fact a fancy bouquet of flowers, containing enough ribbons to put a small crafts shop out of business. The lone figure was wearing what you’d imagine any random person passing you on the street to wear: a simple black overcoat, faded jeans, and a very simple pair of glasses that had drooped slightly lower than what might be considered proper. The figure didn’t seem too interested in their appearance though, staring blankly towards the stones laid in front of it in neat, seemingly unending rows. The blinding white of the marble most of the stones were made of was a stark contrast to the dark of the night. When the clock struck midnight, signalling the first moments of the exceptionally chilly 25th of September, the figure took a few short steps forward, kneeling in front of a headstone like any other in the row. The flowers were gently placed at the base of the stone, but instead of getting back up the figure stayed on its knees, almost as if rooted to the ground.

Hours passed, and if you were to stare at that certain spot among the headstones, you might think there was a strange new statue built in front of one of them, as the figure kneeled there unmoving. The first rays of Sun came and went in the form of a beautiful sunrise, yet the mysterious figure gave it no mind, its attention completely consumed by the single tombstone and the slightly faded golden engraving there. As the Sun continued its journey towards the top of the sky, it was enveloped in dark clouds, and shortly thereafter rain swept National City. It started with the slightest trickle, fooling people into thinking they had time to keep their calm pace, but developed into a relentless downpour in just minutes. And still, back at the cemetery, the figure stood their ground, now completely drenched and surely chilled to the bone.

~

National City continued to function as it always did in the background, unaware and uncaring of the silent vigil this mysterious figure was holding at the fringes of the city. The rain continued well into the late afternoon, only letting up as the Sun was about to disappear into the horizon once more. It was a day like any other to the citizens of the city, if a little murkier and hectic thanks to the dismal weather.

When the clock struck midnight once more, the figure slowly raised their fingers to their lips, and moments later lowered them to the headstone they had been so adamantly guarding for the day. The figure sighed quietly, and raised up from the cold, soggy ground. They spared one last longing look towards the lifeless piece of rock, before crouching slightly and disappearing into the sky in the time it took the average person to blink their eyes. One moment the figure was there, and the next it was gone.

~

Unbeknownst to the previous occupant of the graveyard, another one emerged from behind an old oak tree that stood a few dozen metres from the very spot that still had barely recognizable imprints of knees on the muddy soil. This new visitor had a bouquet of flowers in his hand as well, though this one was quite a bit smaller and less extravagant. The man walked up to the same headstone, letting off a sigh of his own, before lowering his flowers next to the soaked ones already there. He took a quick glance around, followed by a dull flash of green. Suddenly the man was no more, and in his place was a green alien sporting a black cape, and dark sturdy armor with a red X brandished on the front. The alien stood quietly for a while, seemingly in deep thought, before starting towards the gates of the cemetery in a slow, resigned pace.

“It hasn’t been the same without you, you know?” it whispered in a scratchy voice to no one. “Kara certainly hasn’t, and probably never will.”

~

_Alexandra Danvers_  
_7.6.1989 – 25.9.2053_  
_Beloved daughter, loving wife._  
_You have been the sun of our lives._

**Author's Note:**

> I wasn't able to find the actual date of Alex's birth apart from the year, so I made it up.


End file.
